Service

A focus on Service

Having a strong service ethic reflects the Mission Statement of the Saint Kentigern Trust Board: ‘To provide education which inspires students to strive for excellence in all areas of life for the glory of God and the service of others.’

As our students progress through their Saint Kentigern schooling, service opportunities at both school and community level abound. Students are encouraged to become involved with projects such as World Vision’s 20 or 40 Hour Famine, Sponsor a Child and Guide Dogs for the Blind; to contribute to food, shoe, clothing and book banks; to understand the purpose and end result of Chapel offerings; to understand the significance of the Sharing Sheds and the community links they forge.

For our oldest students, meaningful service often takes them into a world of which they have no experience. Their willingness to offer help in these circumstances sets them apart. For a number of years, a team of College students has spent their July holidays toiling in Fiji to build a home for the needy, while another team travels to Vanuatu to assist at a school. Closer to home, many students are involved in community projects such as building a Habitat for Humanity home in Otara, assisting the reforestation project on Motutapu Island, helping with the special needs students at Somerville Special School, assisting in the junior classes at Ruapotika School, mentoring students at the Dingwall Trust in Papatoetoe, assisting with meals for the needy and spending time with the elderly. These students enter their service opportunities sometimes not knowing what to expect, but leave empowered by the emotional satisfaction of ‘a job well done.’

Service does not always have to be about big issues; it can be acts of kindness, consideration and compassion in the classroom, in the playground, on the sports field, or at home. It is these little acts of service encouraged at an early age that build a foundation for moral reasoning later in life.